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2001 To buy or not to buy?

I am new to the hybrid thing but I'm going to have to learn fast. I am thinking for buying a 2001 Prius and I need help. I know for a fact by reading some of the comments on this site the the gas mileage would be worth it. The car has 126,000 miles and they are asking $4500. Not knowing much about hybrids, would this be towards the end of the battery life? What other problems would I run into and how much would they cost? I'm going to be driving the car 125 miles a day starting two months from now. Any comments would help.
Thanks

I bought a 2001 that had

I bought a 2001 that had been in an accident. It had 128,000 miles and needed a 120,000 mile tune up....$150.00 and a regular battery, $80.00. At 135,000 miles the trans-axle went out (the part that switches the gas engine on and off)...it will cost about $5,000.00 to repair it. I am told that because it is an early model, not all the bugs have been worked out on it, so much more could go wrong. I am buying a 2004 now with almost 350,000 miles on it, and the only thing that has been done to it is regular maintenance. The odometer had to be replaced at 299,999 miles...a Toyota precaution so the cars could be inspected at that time to get more info on it's performance. It is still running like a champ and gets from 40 to 60 mpg daily depending on weather and driving conditions. Go with a newer model!

I would be careful.
I have

I would be careful.
I have had numerous problems with my 2001 Prius.
For example, it is having starting problems as we speak.

The 12V battery in the trunk is notorious for draining in a few days if it is not being used. If you read this website, you will find that the 12V battery is one of the biggest nuisance's.

Right now, my battery is alright, but I believe another electrical problem has developed hence the dying engine.

A few years back I had a problem, and I drove it in to the dealership.
Perhaps I was fortunate of the timing, because the mechanics said there was a parts recall on the 2001 Prius's. They needed to replace the "pointers" on my battery, which they did on the same visit.

I don't know if I missed other notices of faulty parts since that last visit.

I would look for a local Prius mechanic by posting an ad on Craigslist. They are probably more affordable, and if you have had the problems I have had, it would be good to have someone local.

I bought a 2001 prius .while

I bought a 2001 prius .while waiting for registration for 12 days and with only 3 days warming while parked it refused to start .Tried jump starting and it didnt work .what should I do?could this be from the battery dying due to winter cold.